It has gotten to the point where the Nets lost tonight for the sixth time in seven games — to a team playing its fourth game in five nights, and coming off a four-overtime game the night before — and no one on the team seemed particularly surprised or terribly disappointed.

“They’re a good basketball team,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said of the Utah Jazz, who came into the Prudential Center and beat the Nets, 105-84. “This (Utah) is a team that’s vying for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they have a lot at stake right now. So even if you’re a little tired, you try to dig a little deeper.”

The Jazz have been digging deep for the past couple weeks, at least. The win tonight was their seventh in eight games. At 27-23, Utah is in the thick of the playoff race, currently in a three-way tie with Houston and Denver for the final two playoff spots.

The Nets (16-35), on the other hand, have lost eight of their last 10. Johnson said the group that finished the game — Sundiata Gaines, MarShon Brooks, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams and Johan Petro — let the game get too far out of hand.

“We didn’t show quite the type of professionalism and character that I’m looking for,” Johnson said of his finishing five. “You go in the game and there’s three or four minutes (left) and the game, supposedly, is over.

“Guys, when they’re out there, somebody is always watching, okay? We’re watching; other teams are watching, so you’re not only representing our organization, but you’re representing yourself. Our guys just didn’t represent themselves there at the end like we wanted them to.”

Deron Williams, who twice declined to talk to the media after games last week and was tight-lipped when he did talk, seemed less upset after this one. He calmly pointed to a second quarter in which the Nets were outscored 34-15 as the deciding factor.

“We knew they had played a quadruple overtime game (Sunday), so we’d like to get out and put some more pressure on them,” Williams said. “It just didn’t work out, that second quarter things weren’t going right for us.”

The Jazz dominated the inside, with power forward Paul Millsap getting a double-double — 24 points and 13 rebounds, while center Al Jefferson had 19 and eight. The Nets’ starting big men managed just a combined six points, with Kris Humphries shooting 0-for-6 from the floor to finish with two points and 10 rebounds. Shelden Williams had four points and six rebounds.

The Nets were led by Gerald Green’s 20 points off the bench, while Deron Williams had 17 points and 11 assists.

Williams led the Nets’ charge in the third quarter, when the Nets cut a 17-point halftime deficit all the way down to five. The gap shrank to three (72-69) on a jumper by Deron Williams with 11:02 left in the fourth quarter. But Green went to the foul line with 10:24 left and a chance to cut the deficit to one, and he missed both shots. Millsap ended up with a three-point play at the other end, and the Jazz regained control.

• Devin Harris wouldn’t say the trade to sent him from the Nets to the Utah Jazz 13 months ago sent him to a better place.

“It’s a better situation,” Harris said. “I won’t say a better place. (The Nets are) going through a little transition period — they have some plans that they’re still trying to figure out — obviously, they’re moving soon. It’s a big factor. Utah, we’ve got a good mixture going on, and we’re playing well right now.”

Harris, who was traded with Derrick Favors, two first rounders and $3 million for Williams, had nine points and 11 assists in his first game back in New Jersey. Favors had four points and five rebounds off the bench.

• Jordan Farmar (groin) and Anthony Morrow (right shoulder) did not dress. Johnson hopes Morrow will be able to return for Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.